College:  Belmont Abbey College, Belmont, NC 

Certified in Family Crisis, Suicide Prevention and Substance Abuse/Drug Rehabilitation Counseling in North Carolina - 1978

Certified in Public Supervisory Management (Certified Public Manager Program) by Rutgers University and the State of New Jersey Department of Personnel in August 1989 and Certified as a Certified Public Manager in January 2008 by Farleigh Dickenson University and the New Jersey Department of Personnel.

Worked for the State of New Jersey, Department of Human Services, Division of Developmental Disabilities from August 1978 to present, including managing a “dual diagnosed” residential unit for over 12 years.  It should be noted that during that time, I took an Unpaid Leave of Absence for Union Activity (for 9.5 years)  while I worked as a Local 1040 staff representative/organizer (and Legislative/Political coordinator in the last several years),  

Chairman of CWA Local 1040’s Anti-Privatization Committee from its inception in December 1994 until disbanded by President Carolyn Wade in 2005 and credited with blocking 17 separate attempts by former Governor Whitman to privatize various services (including Corrections Food Service twice, Corrections Commissaries twice and Corrections Maintenance twice, Human Services Grounds and Maintenance, Human Services), was the lead researcher for the Local from 1996 to 2006 and member of  the Local 1040 Executive Board as President of the Hunterdon Developmental Center Branch of CWA Local 1040 since 1989.

Provided anti-privatization training to groups of labor representatives from all over the country assembled in Albuquerque, NM and Chicago, IL. Provided similar instruction in New Jersey to CWA Local 1040 activists.

Author of numerous Privatization related manuscripts such as, “Smelling A Rat” (© 1997), “Privatization…Who Really Wins?” (© 1997), “A Comparative Analysis Of The Privatization Initiative In The Department Of Corrections Medical And Allied Health Services” (© 1998, revised © 2002), “Competitivation, Privatization, Public-Private Partnerships and Other Euphemisms For Disservice” (© 1998 and 1999), “Alternatives to Privatization” (© 1999),  “New Jersey’s Mental Health System… An Illustration of a Failed Social Policy” (© 2001) and “Closing the Gap” (© 2002 – a special cost saving/Revenue enhancing report for Governor McGreevey which was implemented and achieved its target of over $450 million). 

Frequently  provide testimony before the New Jersey General Assembly and Senate Committees, including the Senate Budget Committee annually, the Assembly Appropriations and Budget Committee annually, the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, the Assembly State Government Committee, the Assembly and the Senate Law and Public Safety Committees, the Assembly and the Senate Judiciary Committees, the Assembly and Senate Human Services Committee and two special Senate hearings (the Senate’s Mental Health Task Force hearing and the Senate’s Executive Branch Oversight Committee hearing examining the Executive Branch’s response to private contract pitfalls) and two Assembly Special Hearings (the Assembly Democrats' Privatization hearings and the Assembly Human Services Committee Hearing on Ancora Psychiatric Hospital).

Asked by staff of the former Vice President of the United States, Al Gore to provide input (i.e., copies of testimony and published position papers) relative to the increase of mentally ill in state prisons following institutional closures and the consequential increased risk to custody and civilian staff, and to the plight of the mentally ill, post-discharge into the community.

Worked with the FBI and Congressional staff in a multi-year investigation into the private contractor providing health services in New Jersey State Prisons.  Additional resource help was requested by, and given to Nevada’s Department of Corrections, Attorneys in New Mexico involved in litigation against Corrections Medical Services (CMS), investigative reporters for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and to Florida Corrections, California Correctios and the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers.

One of twelve charter members of an international panel of anti-privatization experts called, CAPP.

Worked on Governor Jim McGreevey’s Transition Team in January 2002.  Subsequently worked with the Governor’s staff, providing cost analysis and other information relative to Department of Corrections’ contract with the Corrections Medical Services (CMS) in an effort to return the service to public workers... a nearly 9 year struggle which was successful,

Elected to the Public Employees Retirement System Board of Trustees in June of 2007 in an election which started with 92,000 ballots and which broke all prior participation records.  Despite Carolyn Wade's and Don Klein's refusal to endorse a Local 1040 executive board member and their successful persuasion of the AFL-CIO to endorse a candidate from another Local, Tom won the election with 55% of the vote, proving that he had the ability and the record of integrity to beat the odds and work as an advocate for State Workers on the Pension Board.